Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Lord, bless me with understanding and clarity. Open me to your message and love.

May the Lord bless you today with sunshine now that he has watered your garden in abundance?

Paul continues to challenge his Roman Jewish community with a very interesting question. Is a great man great because of his deeds or is he great because of who he is? At least that is how the question comes to me. Paul uses Abraham to illustrate his question. The Roman church would all agree that Abraham was a great man and through his actions created an ancestry of people faithful to the One God. Again, did God bless Abraham because of what he did or did he bless him in recognizing his faith?

I was taught while very young that good intentions will yield good results that bring reward. Where do good intentions come from? For most of my life, my “it’s all about Me” motivation was the origin of good intentions. Consciously or not I was looking for some form of reward. The reward may only have been recognition or praise. As I have aged and matured I have come to realize that God has always loved me; even when I was not very loveable. When in union with God, one’s good intentions and righteousness come from knowing God’s love and needing to express that love through action. Good deeds go from being payment in anticipation of reward to payment for the reward that has already been given.

As I listen to the thunder and hear the rain I witness God’s blessings all around me. I am thankful for the Grace of God. The great gift of Jesus that I have not and never will earn. May God continue to bless me with his grace so I may repay him however I can.